Aggregate (Hoboken, N.J.)最新文献

Photodynamic immunotherapy holds great promise in tumor treatment by activating immune memory to surveil and eradicate recurrent/metastatic tumor cells. However, its efficacy against hypoxic solid tumors remains significantly limited due to oxygen dependency, apoptosis resistance, and immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME). Herein, a facile strategy of anion-π⁺ interactions was proposed to fabricate Type I photosensitizers (PSs) to achieve ferroptosis-driven photodynamic immunotherapy against hypoxic solid tumors. By introducing anion-π⁺ interaction, aggregation-induced emission (AIE)-active TMTPA with near-infrared emission was developed and encapsulated into nanoparticles (NPs). Under 635 nm laser irradiation, TMTPA NPs demonstrated superior Type I reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and exceptional mitochondrial targeting, causing lipid peroxidation accumulation and triggering ferroptosis. This further promoted dendritic cell (DC) maturation and stimulated T cell proliferation, thereby amplifying systemic antitumor immunity. Ultimately, TMTPA NPs achieved 86% inhibition of the primary tumor and effective suppression of lung metastasis. This work presents a novel anion-π⁺ Type I PS that induces ferroptosis and reprograms the immunosuppressive TME, offering a promising strategy for combating hypoxic solid tumors.

X. Li, J. Gao, L. Gao, et al., “Self-Aggregation-Induced Polymerization for Constructing Multifunctional Dynamic Zwitterionic Hydrogels,” Aggregate 6 (2025): e70227.

There was a graphical error in the chemical structures presented in Figure 1b and the Graphical Abstract. Figure 1b and the Graphical Abstract have been corrected to reflect the accurate chemical structure.

We apologize for this error.

Electrocatalytic oxidation of organic compounds provides a green strategy to produce value-added chemicals from easily accessible molecules with low values at ambient conditions. The low overpotentials of these reactions also make them excellent alternatives to replace the conventional anodic oxygen evolution reaction in water splitting to reduce the electrical energy consumption of the electrolyser and simultaneously realize the co-production of fine chemicals and hydrogen. However, the electrocatalytic oxidation of organic compounds suffers from slow kinetics and complex reaction pathways, which lead to poor catalytic activity and selectivity, hindering its practical applications in green production of value-added chemicals. Recently, intermetallic compound (IMC) nanomaterials have shown great promise as catalysts for electrocatalytic oxidation of organic compounds. Their atomically ordered structures enable the precise control over the configurations of active sites, making it feasible to finely modulate the adsorption of reactants and intermediates on catalyst surface for achieving high electrocatalytic performance. This review provides a brief overview of the development of IMC nanomaterials as catalysts for electrocatalytic oxidation of organic compounds to produce value-added chemicals. The main strategies for preparing IMC nanomaterials are summarized, followed by an overview of their applications in electrocatalytic oxidation of furan compounds, glycerol, and plastic waste. Besides, the hybrid water splitting systems coupling electrocatalytic oxidation reactions with hydrogen evolution reaction utilizing IMC nanomaterials as catalysts are also highlighted. Finally, the existing challenges and future research opportunities in this research area are discussed.

Active sites in proteins account for a small proportion but are crucial for their enhanced binding affinity and specificity, making related biomimetic structures a research hotspot. However, current structures greatly depended on rigid inorganic frameworks for high-certainty assembly, which introduced interfering inorganic groups and interactions not present in proteins. To address this, we utilized organic crystal rigidity to achieve high-certainty assembly conformations. Thus periodic active sites at crystal interface can be precisely assembled by pure organic units. Our three-step strategy for designing artificial super-receptors includes: (1) Learning active site model from proteins; (2) Imitating active sites in crystal cell unit; (3) Exceeding natural performance with periodic active sites at the crystal interface. Practically, by mimicking the human dopamine transporter (amphetamine drug receptor), our artificial super-receptor acted as super-sensor. It achieved a limit of detection down to 480 pM, 64,580 times lower than the natural receptor. It also showed revolutionary broad-spectrum specificity for amphetamine drugs, including chiral methamphetamine, ecstasy, and even potential novel amphetamine derivative illicit drugs, allowing active preventing detection for the drug abuse problem. The customized designing strategy was also validated by high dopamine sensitivity (2.8 nM) and selectivity of d-DAT inspired PySO₃H artificial super-receptor. Such strategy can be further extended to other functional proteins for various super-performance, from sensor, catalyst, medicine, agriculture to therapeutic applications, etc.

Diabetic ulcers (DUs), a severe complication of diabetes, are characterized by impaired wound healing and contribute significantly to morbidity and mortality. A key pathological driver is the persistent accumulation of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs), which extend inflammation and tissue damage; however, appropriate therapeutic strategies to resolve NETs remain underdeveloped. We engineered a self-assembled nanocomplex, O/DNase-I, through structural and functional integration of oligomerized epigallocatechin gallate (OEGCG) and deoxyribonuclease-I (DNase-I). Its functionality was systematically evaluated in vitro and in a diabetic murine wound model using molecular and histological analyses. The O/DNase-I nanocomplex simultaneously eliminates existing NETs via DNase-I-mediated DNA hydrolysis and suppresses further NET formation through OEGCG. This synergistic action robustly cleared NETs, mitigated pro-inflammatory signaling, and critically, promoted a reparative immune microenvironment by driving M2 macrophage polarization, ultimately accelerating diabetic wound closure in vivo. This study not only validates O/DNase-I as a potent therapeutic approach for diabetic wound management but also establishes a novel supramolecular strategy for targeting dysregulated inflammation, with broad potential applications in other NET-associated pathologies.

Circularly polarized luminescence (CPL)-active nanoclusters hold great promise for advanced photonic applications, yet the improvement of the |g_lum| has always been the core challenge in this field for a long time. Herein, we report the enantiomeric pairs of homometallic cationic (R/S)-[Ag₂₁(S₂PO₂C₁₇H₁₄)₁₂]⁺ (R/S-Ag₂₁) and heterometallic neutral (R/S)-[PtAg₂₀(S₂PO₂C₁₇H₁₄)₁₂] (R/S-PtAg₂₀) clusters stabilized by a bis-thiophosphinate spiro ligand and featuring eight free electrons. R/S-Ag₂₁ exhibits a single emission with a |g_lum| value of 4.7 × 10⁻⁴, whereas R/S-PtAg₂₀ with only one atom changed exhibits visible-near-infrared (NIR) dual emission CPL behavior, with a visible-light emission |g_lum| value of 6.4 × 10⁻⁴ and an NIR emission |g_lum| value of 1.3 × 10⁻²—among the highest reported for metal clusters. Research has revealed that the luminescence of R/S-PtAg₂₀ originates from two independent triplet excited states: a core-based charge transfer (CT) state and a ligand-to-core CT state, which are bridged by a direct CT process mediated by ligand vibrations. The high |g_lum| value of R/S-PtAg₂₀ in the NIR region stems from the strong correlation between its electronic cloud and the peripheral chiral ligands. Furthermore, guest-induced modulation of ligand rigidity enables tunable emission modes—visible-only, NIR-only, or dual-visible-NIR. This work presents a novel strategy for constructing DECPL-active metal clusters, offering fundamental insights into the design principles governing CPL efficiency and paving the way for multifunctional photonic systems, such as optical encryption.

Atomically precise metal nanoclusters (MNCs) have emerged as tailorable luminescent materials with visible to near-infrared emission modulated by core (kernel) size, metal composition, and ligand engineering. These ultrasmall clusters exhibit discrete quantum-confined electronic states with strong spin–orbit coupling (SOC), enabling diverse emission pathways. Current research focuses on elucidating emission mechanisms and developing strategies to enhance fluorescence quantum yields. In this review, we emphasize structure–photoluminescence (PL) correlations and the underlying excited-state origins of luminescence: (i) coinage-metal clusters display multiple emissive channels—including prompt fluorescence, room-temperature phosphorescence, and TADF; (ii) the electronic gap and thus emission energy is directly governed by core size and metal identity, with core shrinkage and enhanced SOC generally inducing red-shifts; and (iii) ligand shell properties (identity/rigidity/packing) control charge-transfer pathways and nonradiative decay, while heterometal doping or rigidification modulates state ordering to brighten emission without necessarily shifting band positions. Importantly, many clusters exhibit dual-emission behavior. We propose a coupled core–shell emissive-state model in which one band originates from metal-core excitation and the other from a ligand- or motif-centered charge-transfer state. Finally, we outline future challenges: dissecting core versus shell contributions to PL and boosting quantum efficiency through targeted control of cluster composition and ligand shell. Progress on these fronts is crucial for the rational design of next-generation cluster emitters.

Muscle contraction and cellular motility depend on the complex interplay between myosin, actin, and associated proteins. Disruptions in these interactions are linked to various human diseases, including muscular dystrophies and cardiac conditions. In this study, we developed a tissue-extraction protocol to purify the actin–tropomyosin–myosin (ATM) complex and filamentous actin (F-actin) directly from human and mouse left ventricles, as well as from rat skeletal muscles. Utilizing cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM), we resolved the structures of the ATM complexes and F-actin derived from these tissues. Additionally, we extracted ATM complexes from mice carrying the hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) mutation R404Q and demonstrated how this mutation alters the formation of ATM complexes and the structural configuration in myosin. Our approach offers a general method for isolating intact ATM complexes directly from various mammalian tissues, providing insights into the structural basis of ATM complex formation and regulation in muscle function and disease.

Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) have proven to be highly efficient hole-transporting layers (HTLs) due to their advantages, including low cost, minimal material consumption, ease of synthesis, negligible optical loss, and exceptional stability. Recently, carbazole-based SAM HTLs have considerably improved the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of organic solar cells (OSCs) and perovskite solar cells (PSCs)—with PCEs reaching 21% and 27%, respectively. This review begins with a concise overview of the chemical structure of SAMs, emphasizing the recent advancements achieved by carbazole-based SAMs in the photovoltaics (PVs) sector. We then systematically summarize the modifications made to the chemical structure of carbazole-based SAMs to optimize their interface dipole, surface wettability, and interface defects. Especially for functional group, the modification techniques are categorized into four main types: methoxylation, conjugation, halogenation, and asymmetrization. Finally, several challenges, including solubility, film quality, and stability, along with potential solutions for these issues are discussed. We hope this review serves as a valuable guide and source of inspiration for the design of SAM HTLs, ultimately enhancing the performance of PV devices.